Stuck
by Dzuljeta
Summary: Rose and the Doctor are stuck in the recuperating TARDIS for three days... The unexpected 'incident' gives the two the chance to finally approach some of the things they keep denying... Rose/Ten.
1. Stuck: Day One, Chapter One

_A/N. There it goes, the oh-so-predictable (?) story about the Doctor and Rose being stuck in the TARDIS. You'd think I'd settle with a one-shot? Think again. As of yet, at least some more chapters are surely to come – three days are a long time. I can't guarantee very frequent updates, considering the amount of stories I must eventually finish or expand on… But this one is, at least for the time being, my biggest priority.  
_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. **

* * *

**Stuck**

Rose shook her head, after having hopelessly attempted to make the TARDIS door open for the fourth time.

The Doctor shrugged at her, an apologetic look in his eyes. He had promised to bring Rose back to London in time, and they were obviously late already. The man breathed out, attempting to stop thinking about just how many problems the daughter's belated comeback might cause to his young companion. While he was never fond of having to face Jackie Tyler with her constant hysterics and basic commonness, let alone care about her, the Time Lord cared about Rose not getting into any additional trouble at home.

The Doctor had had quite enough encounters with the woman to learn that the two were hardly ever going to enjoy each other's company. But he could tolerate her, for Rose's sake. After all, the annoying woman was her mother, which meant there were some points to comply with. Luckily, the mother seemed to have understood it too… Nonetheless, the possible outcome of this unexpected _incident_ with the TARDIS was making him anxious.

* * *

'_I think you need to get home', the Doctor insisted back then. 'Didn't your mother mention some extremely important ball, some celebration that you were told not to miss under any circumstances? Who would want to miss it? It promises to be something exceptional, doesn't it?' Of course, the companion knew he was being sarcastic. _

"_Something exceptionally plain and dull with a dozen equally boring guests?"_

* * *

Rose had rolled her eyes at him then just as she did now, foreboding the topic was to be brought up again now that the possibility of her participating in her mum's ball was growing thinner. Once again, she wished he could see just how little these everyday things mattered for her…

It was merely a week since Rose saw Jackie last, and she could always call... It wasn't the first time she was late for things ever since she began travelling with the Doctor. But something was stopping her, some persistent idea the blonde girl was subconsciously trying to dismiss from her mind.

Maybe the mysterious man had some secrets from her. Why wouldn't he, anyway? And it would have appeared strange if she wasn't trying to open the TARDIS' door. Although she soon knew it was pointless – the sonic screwdriver that the Doctor handed to her was of no help. This alone should have stopped her useless attempts, and, with an uneasy sigh, she did eventually stop.

Seeing a wry grimace – or was that a smile? – on her face , the Doctor approached the young human. "You should not bother trying, Rose. If I know my TARDIS well, and that I do, all there is left to do is be patient."

The companion rolled her big brown eyes at him. He could have said that at least half an hour ago. "You mean, we wouldn't be able to leave." She but considered the fact. After all, it was primarily for the Doctor's sake that Rose was trying to get the door open so desperately. Meeting her mother and her mum's friends was the last thing she wanted.

"I'm afraid not," the Doctor caught her look. Rose believed she could make out both discomfort and resignation in his. Suddenly, she wanted to laugh out loud and wondered if it would hit him none of these discommodities were actually bothering her as much, if it all. She wasn't startled, wasn't even uneasy. Maybe simply… curious about what had happened. After all, she was not stuck in the TARDIS on her own. They both were. And the Doctor would certainly come up with something. Not that Rose was burning with the wish to have everything fixed at once…

"I shouldn't have panicked. It can't be that bad," she gave him a small smile, believing it was quite enough of her playing the distressed damsel. For all that Rose knew, the Doctor was an even worse liar than she was. He must have missed all the 'distressed' part anyway.

"It is. We are stuck in here until the touchy lady decides we are worthy to get out." He did not seem happy about it at all. It wasn't often that his TARDIS was not listening to his orders. Of course, such things did happen occasionally – the blue box had a mind of her own. Most often, though, he was travelling alone when the machine decided to begin her reboots... "I wonder what's happened," the Doctor muttered.

"The TARDIS has decided to do me a favour, perhaps?"

The Doctor sent her a strange look. He seemed oblivious to the possibility that the girl preferred his company much more than that of people most of whom she barely knew.

"What about you go check the control room and I prepare us some tea?" Rose suggested, unwilling to give him any ideas.

"Sounds just right," he gave her an uncertain smile. The fair-haired companion imagined to have heard relief in his voice, but was uncertain if it meant something more than a wish to peacefully consider the apparently unexpected situation.

Making tea served as a perfect distraction. Rose could not believe that had happened to her. She was stuck in the TARDIS with the Doctor. Was it wrong she could only see positive things in the occurrence? Even though the Time Lord seemed somewhat touchy about it. She could have teased him about it, but did not want to. After all, it was no less her problem than his.

Handing the Doctor his cup, Rose breathed out. "For how long? For an hour, maybe two? I don't really think we wouldn't survive this for such a period of time," the smile reappeared on her face. "Surely, there is something we can do." The Doctor's expression was blank. She looked at him searchingly, traces of worry in her eyes. "_Can_ we do anything?"

The Time Lord sighed, pretending to be considering the possibilities. And that was what he was doing… Making a choice. One was telling her the truth at once… Nevertheless, the Doctor decided upon the other.

"Some hours, that must be it, Rose," he smiled at her reassuringly. Or so he thought.

Rose rolled her eyes at him, not buying any of it. Even though she herself had uttered the guess moments ago, it was obvious she was mistaken then, after she had heard him to actually utter it.

"The Doctor lies, isn't it?"

He ignored the remark. "You wouldn't be so relaxed if you- The tone of his voice was hardly anything the blonde woman had heard before, and that frightened her.

"It's not that the world is ending?" Rose peered at him.

"Naaah. Only this planet. But you needn't worry. We're safe here." The Doctor gave her a grave look, realising his mistake at once. Still, it was a tad too late. "The planet is ending, and you-

At least one of his lies seemed to have worked – the worst one. The momentary dread in her eyes made the alien man want to slap himself. The terrifying sight of her planet ending before her eyes was obviously still vivid in her memories.

"You know it isn't, Rose! We have seen the Earth's end, you and me." For a moment the Doctor got distracted in his thoughts. Different face, the same memories… the same Rose. He kept peering at her until he realised the shock passed. Irritation was better than panic. Still, he wished both of those gone from her flawless features.

"It's just me failing at making jokes," the Time Lord assured her. "These are but caprices of the TARDIS," the Doctor was looking at the controls and screens worriedly, then grinned. He had to admit keeping something from Rose was never a good idea – especially things like this. But he was saved by the human herself.

"I don't think she likes it when you use words like this," Rose noted. "I wouldn't enjoy being called capricious."

"Only a woman can truly understand a woman," he rolled his eyes, then gave her a wide smile.

The Time Lord's companion said nothing to this for some time, but was looking at him searchingly. That was enough to have made him feel uncomfortable. Either she did not get the joke or there was something else wrong.

Rose could not pretend she was mad at the Doctor for longer than a few minutes. "Failing at making jokes again, eh? No, that one's actually pretty funny," she assured him and gave the Time Lord a small smile. "Do you talk with the TARDIS? Maybe she could tell you what is wrong? Like a human?"

"A human, or an alien, or a space ship, yeah," he grimaced at her knowingly, the frown turning to a grin for a moment. "Generally, though, it sounds as if you were putting your race above all others," the Doctor finished with a serious note.

"I didn't mean to." It was just that the majority of the newly-met races were not those of friendly kind. "I'm sorry!" Rose looked around her. "I really am," the final words were directed towards the Doctor, who has awarded her with a huge grin. It was strange not being the one apologising... rather unaccustomed… and not right.

"You begin to see the world in a different light, don't you, Rose?" He decided it was for the best he changed the subject as soon as possible.

"Ever since I'm with you, yes," she spoke, her eyes shining.

The Doctor took a deep breath and gave the human a knowing look. He had to tell her. "Rose?"

"Yes?"

"I _have_ talked to her."

"And?"

The Doctor was glad to only see surprise and interest on the beautiful face.

"The TARDIS has decided she needs some time to recuperate."

Rose did not seem to have fully grasped the idea, but her eyes shone with unquestionable trust. And, as usual, he was ready to explain anything she did not understand. Especially since there weren't many such cases.

"The mechanisms must have overheated. The TARDIS now needs to find, or, more likely, create additional energy before she can take you home again."

Take her home. That was the last thing on her mind. "For how long are we to remain here?"

Not telling things did not count as lying. Frightening Rose did not seem like a pleasant outcome. "Are you missing your family already?" The Doctor teased, wanting to push the question away.

"No," she snapped. The Doctor was a part of her family now. "Not a little bit," Rose muttered to herself, a bit frightened of her own words. "I have you now, don't I?"

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, yes. Let's just hope we don't bore ourselves to death until the system reboots itself."

"And then what?" Rose realised that even if the Time Lord knew the answer about the amount of time they were to spend stuck in the TARDIS, he was keeping it away from her intentionally.

"Then you'll be safely taken home," he assured her. Seeing no traces of relief on her face, the Doctor tried again. "Safe and sound," he finished the sentence in a whisper.

This made her roll her eyes at him. Was he really this daft, or was he but running away from the obvious? "Whoever's made you think I'm looking forward to that?"

Rose gave the Time Lord an uncomfortable smile, then rushed to say something, subconsciously wishing for the sudden uneasiness to go away. They were friends, best friends… And she needed to stop thinking that maybe there was something more between them… She was the only one daft here.

Meeting his penetrating gaze, the companion managed to give him but a worried glance, fighting her thoughts away.

"Let's be serious, Doctor. For how long are we to remain here? Hasn't the TARDIS informed you?" The Doctor peered at her knowingly, seeing too well Rose wasn't worried about the situation at least half as any other person would be. He took a breath. This time, there was no way back. And there was no reason to put it away any longer.

"Usually, it takes no less than two days until the mechanisms are repaired… sometimes more."

Rose tensed slightly, not sure if she'd heard him correctly. "Sometimes?"

The Doctor shrugged, motioning for Rose to check it out for herself. Sending an apologetic look her way, he was ready for any kind of reaction. Even if, as it seemed, she was not against spending some more time in the TARDIS-

Seeing the strangely relieved look on her face when she came back from the control room, he tried to make out something more from the peer she gave him. "The countdown on the screen says 70. Seventy what?

"Seventy hours," he was expecting for anything but the grin on her face when she gave him an amused look.

"You don't seem upset," the Doctor noted gleefully.

"I am not," Rose muttered. "But maybe you are? I know, I can be extremely annoying... If you wish, I could simply lock myself in my room and-"

"Don't you dare," the Time Lord teased, reaching for her hand. "I'm sure we'll think of something, as we always do."

The companion knew then – the almost non-existent barrier between them was melting every passing moment. She could feel it almost physically. Nobody believed them when they continuously kept negating that they were a couple…

The thought made the blonde human sigh. She knew she would have given anything to learn that maybe, just maybe-

As if knowing what Rose had in mind, the Doctor waved his hand in front of her. "Something is upsetting you, nonetheless?" The grin on his face seemed completely out of place.

"You wouldn't understand," the companion muttered, unsure if she wanted to turn her eyes away or keep looking at him.

"I understand everything," the Time Lord assured her. He did, indeed. And if this incident with the phone box was what would make them admit their feelings openly… it was for the better.

"Do you?" Rose sent him a look which she imagined she was going to regret when she was back home – for a moment she considered the recurring idea that the TARDIS was no less her home than her place in London - again.

"You know I do. My Rose."

The companion sent him a disbelieving look, than hurried to close her eyes. "This gives me ideas friends should not have," Rose muttered, freezing, as the Doctor grabbed her hand. Taken by surprise, the brown-eyed girl looked at him, not expecting to meet his gaze.

"Shouldn't," the Time Lord agreed. "We should probably wait," he gave her a knowing look. "After all, we have three days completely to ourselves now."

Rose smiled uncomfortably. "Nothing changes between us, then?" The Doctor could read on her face that she wished it to be different.

"We could begin with what humans like best," he suggested. "Would you like to talk about your feelings?"

The companion wasn't sure if he was serious or making fun of her or of the human race in general. "You- you start," she addressed him carefully, almost afraid of what she might hear.

What has reached her ears was surprising. And it wasn't just the almost improperly sounding tenderness in his voice. "How do you think, Rose… Does having two hearts make me feel everything twice as strongly? Pain, loss, love?"

"I don't know." Rose pretended not to have been affected by his words as strongly as she was. "I suppose you don't really have the means to compare?" She attempted to jest. The moment she saw his face, the blonde wanted to disappear from his sight, but gazed at him instead. "I'm sorry." Once again, the Doctor had to ignore the discomfort he felt whenever Rose began apologising for no apparent reason.

"It's all right," he assured her. "Everything is, when we are together," the Time Lord spoke casually, knowing his companion was able to detect every trace of feelings in his voice. The understanding made him try to lessen the effect his words must have had on her. "Everything but the fact that we are stuck, of course."

The blonde but shrugged at the obvious, happy the Doctor kept smiling at her, obviously waiting for her to say something.

Rose felt she was not ready to simply admit the dreamed-of story was true. "Three days… what do you suggest we do?"

"For now, we should look through the rooms and see which ones are still available," the Doctor smiled at the woman. The questioning look he received from Rose made him shrug uncertainly. "Everything depends on her now. If we're lucky, some rooms will remain untouched. Don't worry," he assured the blonde with a smile, "the kitchen and the bathrooms are safe from being removed or changed. That I can guarantee."

Rose grimaced. She could remember the Doctor telling her about the rooms occasionally disappearing. "All the other rooms are not?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "The library, maybe? It's a matter of luck. If you find yourself thrown into the control room, I suggest you just stay calm and wait until this or that room is ready for using again," he grinned.

"You mean," she asked, just to be sure, "we are dependent on the TARDIS, and from what I can see on your face, there is nothing that can be done about it, right?"

"Pretty much so," he beamed, seeing how her big eyes were sparkling, no traces of uneasiness in them.

"Then I suppose it would be better if I brought some of my clothes in one of those safe places," she smiled at the Doctor playfully.

"Don't panic as of yet," he could not stop grinning at her. "I have never met someone so excited about being stuck together with an alien-" The Time Lord had to stop, as Rose put a finger on his lips. "Not when this alien is the best thing that has ever happened in my life," she spoke, sounding entirely serious. Having hurriedly taken her hand away, hence allowing the Doctor to speak, she had to face yet another surprise.

"Aren't you afraid of me, though?" The Doctor, unlike Rose, was openly teasing her.

"Why should I be?" She took over his manner of speaking.

"Because I'm not human," the Time Lord gave her what sounded like the ultimate, the most important and life-turning reason.

Rose decided to leave jesting aside. "Human or not… that's not what I care about the most. Of course, if you are against it, if your alien rules prohibit falling in love-"

_Rose._ "Do you want to know just how _wrong_ you are about this?" The Doctor sounded thunderstruck. "Even if such rules, as you call them, existed, I'd be the first one to break them - with you," his voice was just low enough to resemble a whisper.

"Let's just… go and check the available rooms, and then-

Rose was so affected by his words she was grinning foolishly almost the entire time they were checking the rooms. Almost all of them were still present.

"This is a good thing, right?" she spoke, after the two have decided to stay in the library, as it seemed the most appropriate place… and the place least likely to get sealed among those that might be. "That the majority of rooms are still available?"

The Doctor shook his head. "On the contrary," he spoke. "But you will see," he teased.

"Is this supposed to sound frightening?"

"Not when I'm with you, Rose."

The human grinned. "Then… what about you just stay with me forever?"

This word... _forever_ was a long time. "You will grow tired of me sooner than you think," the Doctor patted her shoulder playfully.

"I haven't yet," Rose smirked. She knew it was impossible for her to grow tired of him. But instead of saying that, she rolled her eyes at the Time Lord. "What about we go take some things we might need from our rooms before, and if, they disappear?"

"Sure."

Before leaving, the blonde grabbed his hand, believing the gesture would add some additional meaning to the words.

"I love being stuck with you, Doctor," Rose whispered, watching him, then letting go of his hand. But before she could go away, the Time Lord fixed his look on her. "I love you too, Rose."

"I know," she muttered back with a grin.

One thing was obvious for both of them - these days together were going to be some of the best time of their lives, even with no monsters to run away from and no planets to save. The very understanding's made their faces light up with anticipation.

* * *

_A/N. I hope you enjoyed reading this. As you must have noticed, not even the first day is over yet – and they have three. Who's to say what might happen? During this, perhaps later? Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think__!_


	2. Stuck: Day One, Chapter Two

_A/N. Thank you to all my new followers! :) Thank you for the review and for the favourite as well! Could I hope for more? :) Pretty please?_

**Stuck: Day One, Chapter Two**

"First things first," the Doctor grabbed the blonde girl by the hand rather fiercely. "Let's not waste time," he whispered, sounding rather tense. It was kind of unnerving for him to know there was nothing that could be done to stop the recuperation process or to control the things happening inside the TARDIS. While the Doctor was sure the space ship knew exactly what she was doing, being a part of processes he had no control over did not feel right.

However, that was not the only, not even the main reason for his uneasiness. The Time Lord was terrified. Terrified of having openly admitted something so personal. The fact Rose could not stop smiling at him whenever she met his eyes was both assuring and frightening. The Doctor was about to let go of her hand, but Rose did that first.

"What's the matter?" The Time Lord looked at her, happy he wasn't the one having to give explanations. "Rose?"

"Just me- trying to… adjust," she breathed out. Everything was happening too soon, at least for one of them. The young woman was elated, but the Doctor did not seem to be sharing her bliss. Rose could almost physically feel his uneasiness. And she was determined to know what was upsetting him.

"Doctor… What's wrong?" the blonde gave him a worried look, the blissful smile now completely gone from her face. "Have I done something wrong? Said something?" The Doctor knew what she had in mind, especially having seen the look in her big hazel eyes.

"On the contrary. Everything's brilliant. It's me who-

The Time Lord still couldn't quite believe he had uttered the words, words so important and meaningful… for him, anyway. Rose hadn't said it openly. And he had. As if falling for a human wasn't bad enough already... The Doctor needed to know- to ask, but it was already becoming usual the girl could see what the last of his kind had in mind…

"You know, when I said I loved being stuck with you-"

The Doctor could not help but tensed visibly, deciding to keep away from pointless guesses. He was almost certain she was going to tell him these few hours with nothing to do have made her realise that he _did_ bore her.

"I meant it," she smiled. Reaching for his hand Rose froze, seeing no reaction from his side. The alien appeared disconcerted.

The blonde met the Doctor's eyes, although his look was unreadable. But did he mean the words that escaped his mouth as if they were the most basic thing ever? Was it possible she'd misinterpreted him?

Seeing doubt in those brown eyes, the same shade as his, the Time Lord spoke nonchalantly. "Should I repeat what I said?"

The human shrugged, a mix of unpleasant emotions boiling within her. She knew every moment spent thinking about some of the possibilities was only taking her joyfulness further away.

"I said," his voice was uncharacteristically quiet, "I love you too, Rose." The Doctor did not even think he could have easily left at least one word out. His companion knew just as well the alien was taking words literally very often – even if they were his own.

Rose, feeling enormous relief overtaking her, expected to see a grin on his face, but it didn't come. Instead, the Doctor looked at her expectantly, as it was clear somewhere deep inside the doubt still lingered – which was why her following words did not surprise him.

"And did _you_ mean it?" The Tyler girl chose to ignore the fact that he was certain she was in love with him, and rightfully so.

"Isn't it obvious?" the Doctor sounded hurt. "Assuming I am not seeing things," he switched to teasing immediately, facing a small incredulous smile. It seemed Rose was but waiting for some even more substantial assurance. "_Love_ is a sacred word for Gallifreyans. We never use it unless we really feel that way."

Rose was feeling like a fool then. How could she ever have doubted him? The one she trusted most of all? It was, has always been more than obvious. The companion sent him her typical tongue-between-teeth grin, but could think of nothing seemingly proper to say. She'd lost the ability to think clearly ever since his first I-love-you. Rose could not see she was trembling with excitement. Her thoughts were blissfully mingled. It took some moments for the human to find her tongue. Dream-come-true or not, there were things to be done first.

"Right, I'll just go and fetch some things from my room right now," she muttered at him before springing away. The Doctor could have sworn she sounded nervous.

"I could accompany you," he suggested with a grin on his face. It appeared then his life had only one aim - to never ever let the brilliant human out of his sight again.

"Sure." _YES! _"Please. I'd love you to." Rose felt the Doctor's hand in hers and smirked at him. It was such an everyday gesture for them… Yet, it was somehow different. Every gesture, every word.

Rose stopped, before finding herself in front of her room. Allowing the Time Lord in her chamber was out of the question, and the alien did not seem too keen on visiting what he realised was her personal space. Not yet.

"Um… Let's meet in the library afterwards, 'kay?" Rose muttered. She knew she sounded just like someone wanting to run away from him. But the Tyler girl only sent the Doctor an apologetic look. He had to understand. After all the time they spent together, she was assured he would.

The Doctor nodded understandingly, smiling at her. "Of course. Just don't be too long?"

He had to fetch some things for the night as well. While Time Lords could do without sleeping for much longer than humans could, it didn't mean he wasn't going to need a pillow or clothes to change into for the night. He could but hope the TARDIS was not going to greet them with some unpleasant surprise, such as relocating the library or throwing Rose out of her bedroom before she had the chance to grab everything she needed.

Apparently, the TARDIS did none of that. It didn't take long for the Doctor to grab everything he thought necessary, which wasn't a lot. Therefore, he was pleasantly surprised to find Rose already waiting for him in the library, sorting through the disordered pile of what seemed to be clothes.

"Hey," she greeted the Time Lord without even sparing a look his way. "I'm sorry about all the mess I'm going to cause here," she thought better and turned to face him, meeting a disbelieving glance.

"You are free to make all the mess you wish," the Doctor assured, not without a shade of simulated worry on his face. "The TARDIS will fix everything later on."

The said ship but beeped in annoyance. Rose grinned. "Look, I know you won't. The Doctor only wants to make an impression on me," she finished in a whisper. "I need no servants," she turned to face the Time Lord, who rolled her eyes at her. "I told you this friend of ours has her way of thinking," he gave his blonde companion a wink.

"Of course she does," Rose agreed with a nod. A thought hit her. "What exactly are we going to do now? Sit and wait until the remaining hours run out?"

The Doctor shook his head. "We will come up with something."

"When don't we?"

The Time Lord grinned. "Indeed. We have the control room, if everything else gets taken away from us."

"And the kitchen," Rose noted absently. "And a bathroom. I suppose not all of those will be available? Because-" The companion stopped abruptly, realising the Doctor was looking at her with a small smile playing on his lips.

She knew then that her face had most probably gone crimson, which has only made her feel more uncomfortable. "Right. Sorry. I just-"

"It's all right," the Time Lord assured her with a grin Rose loved so much. "Everything's fine."

She grimaced. Even after having spent so much time travelling with him, the human girl realised, more and more every passing moment - not without a pang of regret - that the Doctor was not someone to ever open himself to her as much as she might have wanted from anybody else. Rose was prepared to accept as much from him as the mysterious man was ready to give.

Rose shook her strangely pensive thoughts away, catching the curious look the Doctor sent her. "So… what exactly have we been doing the last few hours?"

That was a surprise. "You aren't asking me what we are going to do, but what we _have_ _done_?"

"Yep," she gave him a searching look, a wide smile on her face. It was impossible for her – or for anyone travelling with the Doctor, the blonde guessed – to remain untouched by his cheerful moods. And that grin, oh.

"Too busy with getting to know things, weren't we," he teased, a knowing look in his eyes. "Why don't you sit down?" The Doctor suggested, seemingly unaware until that moment that they were both still on their feet.

"Not until I can give you a proper hug, you know," Rose grinned. Things might have changed between them, but that was one thing she knew the Doctor would not deny her.

"A hug, that's it?" The Time Lord grimaced playfully.

"We still have time for everything else, right?" Rose hoped her tension did not show.

"For everything else," he agreed. Pulling the human into a hug felt so right. "I missed this," the Doctor winked at her, making the Tyler girl roll her eyes at the unpredictable Time Lord. "The last time we did this was when, this morning?"

He smirked. "Yep. At 10.08, to be exact."

The Doctor was irredeemable.

"That is… precise," the young woman smiled, suddenly uncomfortable. The Doctor's arms were still around her.

"What else would you expect from a Time Lord?" he teased.

"Anything, actually." Rose was quick to accept the rules of the game. "Though from this particular Time Lord, who says he loves me yet does not prove it in any way-

_Rose. _The Doctor met her sparkling hazel eyes and was sure he had no right to back away. She was asking so much of him. And he was more than certain his companion deserved to know everything he could tell her. Show her. Even if it meant she would run away from him, terrified of what he might not be able to hide from her. But this was Rose…

"Would you prefer the human way… or my way?" The Doctor spoke nonchalantly.

"Do you ever need to give me such questions?" She was unsure if the handsome Time Lord wanted to protect her from something in giving her two alternatives… as if she could make herself choose something other than _his_ way. That was out of the question, and the Doctor could read it in her eyes.

"My way, then."

It was impossible to mistake the emotions on his face. Rose was assured she saw dread in the Doctor's eyes. Dread and determination. It was then that he backed away from her. "We still have time for everything else," he quoted her. "Human way is actually a lot simpler." _Plainer._

"What is it like? The human way?" The Doctor said nothing to this, wrapping his arms around her again. "Like this," he whispered, before placing his cool lips on hers. Rose could do nothing but reply to the urgent and wildly passionate outbreak. It was much more than that, she realised. Months of supressed feelings that they both felt the need and finally took the chance to express.

As the two finally backed away from each other, there were not many words left to say. "Look what you've done to my hair," The Doctor glared at her. "Although, seeing yours... We're even," he grinned, seeing the puzzled look on her face for a second, before a playful expression enlightened her features. Just for a short while.

There were things Rose needed to know, especially since she had willingly accepted it without even fully knowing what exactly the Doctor had in mind when he spoke about "his way." Something saved exclusively for Time Lords, the Tyler girl guessed.

"The other, what is it?" Rose inquired, after her uneven breathing seemed to have finally returned to normal. She could see the alien knew exactly what she had in mind.

The Doctor froze, careful to pick the right words. His answer turned out quiet. "It would make you a part of me, for all eternity." He was not sure if he had ever explained the Time Lord rules to her. Rose was but a human. Time Lords were never supposed to fall in love, let alone with humans. But it was too late now, too late to back away. Yes, he knew she was going to keep aging – what did they have, some decades together?" Then one day, she'd leave him. And his life would be broken again.

The companion looked at him searchingly. "Doctor."

The way she uttered his name was more than enough. He forced himself to push the dark thoughts away, for her sake. "Sometimes I forget I'm not alone anymore. I'm sorry." The Doctor grimaced, making the girl smile assuredly at him. She knew it was time she changed the subject, at least for the time being.

"I think Mum would lock me up in the Powell Estate for eternity if she knew," Rose smirked.

"Would she?" he grinned, allowing her to eagerly wrap her arms around him again. No such thing would have happened if they weren't stuck in the TARDIS… _I owe you so much, you old lady... _

The Doctor was glad this time the two were barely hugging each other – there were too many unrelated thoughts in his alien mind. He came back to the idea of Rose's mother being against their relationship… Although the Time Lord believed Jackie knew or rightfully imagined more things than she'd openly show. He had to admit it frightened him.

"Honest? I don't want to know. But she's not a huge fan of yours, that I can say."

The Doctor grimaced, backing away. "Neither am I of hers."

Rose grinned, shrugging. She needed to give Jackie a call as soon as possible, not wanting to face more problems than were already waiting for her at home. "With the genius you are, Doctor, could you make sure the conversation could be heard by both of us?" She was sure this was a great idea… Even if her mother was not to know it.

"Hands-free, you mean?" This required no alien techniques. But if she wanted it… The Doctor pressed some buttons and set something up just to make sure he hadn't made some stupid mistakes, which was an easy thing to do not knowing just how incredibly plain human technology was.

"There you are, Rose. Everything should be working now. Although I still don't understand why-"

Rose was glad he stopped there. She was afraid of what the Doctor's reaction would be if she gave him the actual reason. Even if the Doctor did not want to admit it openly, the girl believed she could see that the feeling of belonging was something he was secretly wishing for. The feeling of having a family, be it but the most annoying mother-in-law the Time Lord could ever think of.

Fine, this concept was _completely wrong_ for the companion to even consider, ever, and she knew it. Shaking her head dismissively, Rose turned to the Doctor once again, seeing confusion written all over his face.

The girl had become exceptionally perceptive during her travels with the Time Lord, able to sense every smallest emotional change in the alien. Still, she had long learned to dismiss the idea of something more being possible between them… until today.

"You can call her," he encouraged. "I'll just-"

Amused, the Doctor remembered the strange state they found themselves in. Wherever he went, he was under the risk to be thrown out… Or not being able to find the room at all.

"Stay here, for me?" Her voice was pleading. "I wouldn't have asked of you to help me with setting the phone otherwise, you know…"

The Doctor imagined she was afraid to tell Jackie she was not going to be back for the celebration. He would have found a way to stay with her anyway, but this fact seemed to have doubled the necessity for him to stand beside her. Angry Jackie could be terrifying. The Time Lord nodded with a shrug, hearing the familiar voice immediately.

"Rose! Where are you? The guests are all here already!" her voice was close to shrieking. "I suppose you're on your way?!"

"No… Mum, I'm not coming." The daughter's serious voice was enough to make Jackie worry.

"Are you all right?"

"S'posse so," Rose felt the Doctor press her hand in encouragement.

"So get your things and rush here," Jackie snapped.

"I… can't."

"And why, may I ask?" The mockery in her mom's voice was strangely familiar. Rose could not help but felt guilty to have unintentionally deceived her mother. "I didn't-

"Has the Doctor decided to break his promise?"

"No! I… we…"

"What is it, then?!" the mother was running out of patience. She guessed the Doctor was somewhere nearby.

Rose threw a desperate glance at the alien, coming up with an idea at once. "We're lost!"

This made the Doctor grin at her almost wildly. She truly was brilliant, his Rose.

Jackie was dumbfounded. It was very unlikely for Rose to ever lose her way – except with that Jimmy bloke – but her daughter sounded desperate. "Do you want me to send someone to fetch you up?" she suggested, not losing hope to actually have her daughter present in the feast. "The two of you?"

Rose knew then that her mother was really determined to get her into the ball. Otherwise, the Doctor wouldn't have been considered. Thunderstruck, he wanted to say something, but was hushed by the human immediately.

"But I really can't. It's impossible. I'm so sorry…"

That was more than enough for Jackie. "I have been planning this for months! Made sure every person I've invited could attend! Do you think it was an easy thing to organise?!"

The two were listening silently, unwilling to interrupt the outbreak. "Is this what I get? My own daughter abandoning me over some- some-

"Some alien," the Doctor finished in a whisper, receiving a worried glance from Rose. She could see the Time Lord, however untouched he might have pretended to be, was uncomfortable hearing her words, albeit those weren't uttered. The hazel-eyed girl sent him an apologetic look, while having to reassure her mother of the obvious. Over-dramatising was something Jackie was very good at.

"I am not _abandoning_ you! I can't come, that's all," she finished with her words barely audible. Rose was very thankful to the one accompanying her, his hand still firmly holding hers.

"Fine, fine." Both Rose and the Doctor could tell it was far from _fine _to her mother, but this was a start. "So, tell me. How comes you can't find your way back?"

"It's not that-

"It doesn't matter," the mum snapped. "You two might be involved in whatever you please, but I need to know!" She was afraid some of the ideas she had were actually right.

The Doctor wanted to leave Rose to deal with these personal matters on her own, but the pleading look in her eyes was impossible to fight. It felt as if his dazzling companion had some inexplicable impact on him. _Why wouldn't she, when I have just told her… _Having shaken the thoughts away, he sent her a look of encouragement.

Jackie Tyler seemed to have forgotten the question about her daughter getting lost. After all, Rose was the most important person for her in the entire universe. As long as her Rosie was happy, Jackie was ready to put up with a lot of otherwise unacceptable things. "Are you two at least having fun?"

The pink and yellow human was positively surprised. "As for me, I am," she tried to keep her voice neutral. "But I wish I was there with you!" Rose assured her.

The Doctor was trying his best in not making his presence known, which was becoming twice as hard now that he had to fight the wish to burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation. He could recall her unwillingness to go to the event – what was it again?

The Time Lord was forced to stop in his amusing contemplations, as he heard his beautiful companion lower her voice. "Do you want to talk to him?"

"Yes please." The terrified look on his face made Rose suppress a giggle.

"Just keep it civil," she warned both of them, handing the phone to the Doctor, who could think of no way to keep away from the conversation.

"Jacqueline Tyler."

"I know what my name is," Jackie sounded anything but pleased. "I demand explanations, Doctor. Where on earth are you keeping my Rose?"

He muttered something incoherent. Hoped it was, at least.

"What do you mean, not on Earth?!"

_A/N. I hope you enjoyed this! Please let me know what you think!_


	3. Stuck: Day One, Night One, Chapter Three

_A/N. I must admit the idea of having them so close all of a sudden terrifies me a little. But that's what they deserve, poor "does it need saying" kind… Jackie was actually well aware of what was happening, or at least that was the impression I've got from the series (__**which belongs to the BBC**__). As for Rose not having admitted her feelings up to this moment – she is assured he can see everything, and, well… _

_Thank you to all of my followers and reviewers, both old and new! :)_

* * *

**Stuck: Day One, Night One, Chapter Three**

Rose grabbed the phone from his hands before the Doctor could come up with some unnecessarily scientific babble and terrify Jackie even more.

"Forgive her," she muttered, this causing another fit. "Rose!"

"We are-"

"Give the Doctor back to me, Rose," the mother addressed her with simulated tenderness. Rose mused, unsure. She could never be entirely assured about the ways Mum was going to react. After all, things didn't work her way this time… The Doctor gave the companion an encouraging nod, once again hearing Jackie's voice on the other end of the line. "I have no time to shout at you," Jackie stated. "I'm not buying your "not on earth" nonsense anyway," she sneered. "Is my daughter safe, wherever you two are?"

"I assure you, Jackie. Your daughter might be bored with me, but she's safe."

Rose rolled her eyes at him, and the Doctor grinned back at her. "I will do anything to bring your precious daughter home as soon as possible," he muttered, hoping the younger Tyler missed the line – he was pleased to notice she must have, the look in her eyes indicating anything but paying attention to his words, and he knew this did – intentionally – sound like a compliment Jackie was not thick enough to miss. "I will protect her."

Jackie smiled inwardly, although the idea of him having to protect her daughter from some assumed danger did not sound appealing." I put her life in your hands; don't you ever dare-"

Rose seemed to have woken up from her reverie then, taking the mobile from him with an understanding grimace on her face.

"That's it, Mum! I am happy, safe and not at all bored," the companion sent the Doctor a disbelieving glare, which he took as a call for help. But Rose was able to finish the unwanted chat herself. "Look… I really have to go. I'll call you tomorrow."

Jackie stirred uncomfortably. After all, she knew nothing about their whereabouts, which has surprisingly worried her more than her daughter being with someone she had yet to learn to like. "When will you-"

Rose felt the Doctor's hand on hers, before he pressed one of the buttons assuredly and took the device from her. "I'm afraid I've just turned it off. Sorry." His voice did not sound apologetic at all. The 'End' button did turn out to be useful from time to time...

"How am I supposed to react to this?" He was sure she was going to shout at him, but Rose only shrugged, fighting back a grin and hoping her voice was not going to sound too overjoyed.

"Mothers tend to bore everyone from time to time," she admitted, finding her tongue after some thoughtful minutes, during which she was trying to remain calm... only to lose herself after having uttered the first sentence. "But this wasn't a nice thing to have done, assuming- oh my God," Rose burst out laughing, making the Doctor smirk at her. "You have told her we're _not on earth_..."

"…and now she is left thinking that we are in some kind of trouble, bigger than we are actually facing," the Time Lord sent her a wink, trying his best not to grin back at her foolishly… with only minor success. "But don't you worry, Rose – I have promised Jackie I'd protect you…" The human frowned. Protect her. Wasn't that yet another way to terrify her Mum? She rolled her eyes at him, wishing she could actually be upset at the Doctor for this. However, very soon they were both laughing wholeheartedly.

"I suppose there are more important things for the two of us," the Doctor managed to regain his composure, pretending not to have noticed the soft blush on her cheeks, which has made Rose even more beautiful to his eyes.

The Time Lord hated to put up the subject so soon, but it was for the better. And their entirely personal time together was slowly running out… Of course, it didn't mean the two of them could not do it any other day – not necessarily in the all-seeing time-and-space-travelling ship, even… But he was all for following some human saying then – the sooner, the better…

"We need to talk… before we proceed," the Doctor caught her look. The golden-haired human was listening intently. It seemed the seriousness of his words has made Rose tremble slightly, but it wasn't possible to say for certain if this wasn't caused by her never-ending excitement…

The Doctor found Rose's hand, holding which seemed to be the best way to wash some of her apparent uneasiness away. The two were still on their feet, but neither seemed to mind.

The alien smiled at the girl rather sadly, his voice as gentle as his touch. It was in his nature to convey the absolute essence without ever making his words sound harsh. However, the look in his eyes conveyed everything.

"If you choose to go this way with me, it will be irreparable. The connection between us would last throughout your life… It's very serious, Rose. The connection… It cannot be broken. If anything ever happened to you, I'd be blaming myself… until I die, which could be much, much later… years, decades, centuries after you are taken from me. By the unpersuadable thing all humans face sooner or later. _Death_." The last word could but be read from his lips.

Rose did not doubt for a second, not allowing the feeling of terror, always somewhere nearby, sink into her. She was not alone anymore, nor did she intend to allow some unknown forces keep him away from her. The human knew she needed the Doctor more than anything. She had been warned more than once. Knew _forever _was an impossible thing for them. While it was hurting her, the human smiled without wanting to.

"Are _you_ ready for this, Doctor?"

"I am a Time Lord. The last of the Time Lords, as far as I can tell." The Doctor could not push away a cheeky grin. So much of the seriousness… "And I am about to take the most life-changing step in my existence. You are the only one who can back away now. I could never."

"Then don't." Rose could tell the said Time Lord only wanted the best for her. But did he think about what _he_ wanted?

The Doctor sent her a smirk, forgetting for a peaceful moment that this also meant an eventual breakdown for him, be it much later. No matter how hard he tried, no matter what he did, Rose _was_ going to-

"Doctor!"

He raised his head at her, his lips forming a smile. "Yeah… Never mind me and my silly inconsistent mind," the smile now grew into a sincere grin, and the next moment the two were hugging, their eyes sparkling.

"Are you afraid of pain?" the Time Lord knew that was a stupid and irrelevant question, but now that they were up to the point of becoming inseparable… in a way, some random questions could not hurt – especially since he knew the answer.

"No." It did not sound completely certain, but the Doctor let it pass.

"That's good, because there shouldn't be any," he hurried to assure her, sensing a wave of relief coming over her. The Doctor smiled. "Not physical, anyway. My past, though… there isn't much happiness in it. Are you sure you are ready to face it all? We could always-"

The girl but nodded, growing slightly impatient. "In what way should I repeat it to make you understand? I love you, Doctor. Your smiles no less than your growls of anger. Your obsession with new things," – the Time Lord seemed to have blushed slightly at this – _obsession, really?_ -your babbles I sometimes fail to understand… Your badly-hidden sorrow, the rare moments when I find you in despair which you believe you could mask with one of your grins. Everything. I love everything about you and am ready to share it all."

_Of course you do._ He smiled, almost missing the nearly pleading look in her eyes. There was but one thing left to say. If that was not going to put her off – and the Doctor wished it wouldn't – there were no obstacles to what seemed like the nearly perfect outcome of events.

"I am not sure you understand, Rose…" the Gallifreyan took a deep breath. "The process I am to put you through is a very personal experience. You'd get to know things about me I have never talked to anyone about. To experience some of my deepest secrets, my pain, my fears… And I'd get to know yours. It's almost like marriage without getting through the wedding ceremony," the Doctor took a deep breath, realising the stupidity of the analogy – yet it was somehow similar… in importance.

The blonde gave him a grin, the tip of her tongue visible between her teeth.

"Isn't it great?" she seemed to be rejoicing.

"Doesn't this frighten you?"

Rose shook her head, visibly amused. "You should know it without my saying, Doctor. Your unwillingness to talk to me sometimes, your inexplicable periods of silence… that's what frightens me.

The Time Lord sighed heavily, as if apologising. The following words came out naturally. "Believe me, it's never something I'd put on weaker species, never purposefully…" _But you want this. We both do._

"Should I get into a huff?" Rose rolled her eyes at him. He knew as well as she did there was no reason for her to be upset. The blonde ended up smiling at him. She may have been a weaker species, but that did not make her weaker than him psychologically.

"You might, but you won't," he grinned. "Just because of who you are. The brilliant Rose Tyler!"

"Yes," she agreed, a tense grimace on her face, which did not help the girl to suppress a sarcastic remark from escaping her lips. "Keep building up my self-esteem like this. One day, it might actually work."

The Doctor said nothing to this, locking his eyes to hers. All of a sudden, all traces of jesting were gone from his features as well. "Are you _completely_ sure, Rose?"

The determined look she gave him left the Time Lord no alternative. He knew it would be a mistake to delay the step any further. "Come and join me," his voice was certain, yet inviting. Very soon, Rose was sitting beside him, close enough to hear his heartbeats. Surprisingly, she grinned at him. "A human and a Time Lord… Quite a combination, don't you think?" She whispered at the Doctor with a smile, wishing to ease the tension the blonde could feel all around them.

"The best of combinations," the Gallifreyan smiled back at her, his voice soft. Placing his palms tenderly on her temples, the Doctor gave the human an encouraging smile. "Just see it as a badly done film," he whispered into her ear. His mind, however, was working hard. If everything turned out as intended, Rose was going to fall into peaceful sleep almost immediately after he connected his complicated Time Lord mind to hers… that way, all she would get to feel would be but traces of his torturous past. The Doctor was to open only a small part of himself to her… yet he was afraid it was a part big enough to hurt a human. A small possibility being damaging the said human's consciousness beyond repair…

But this was _Rose_, the Doctor kept repeating to himself. His Rose. What he did not count on was his plan not working fully… Before the Time Lord understood it, the girl was breathing heavily, one of her arms around his waist, as if it were her last chance of survival.

"Do you want me to let go?" The Doctor sounded terrified. He knew exactly what kind of scenarios would have been playing in his mind were it not filled with something different – those were _her_ thoughts. The Time Lord could feel from the sudden increase in the might with which she was holding to him that Rose was seeing it all already.

"No, don't," Rose breathed out, subconsciously trying to fight the violent scenes now inside her mind. "I need to see," she whispered, and the Gallifreyan kept his hands on her now burning temples, soon understanding that his dark memories were slowly becoming mingled with hers... She _could_ see everything. All the violence imposed on his race by his hand, and the fall of the planet he had loved so dearly. It was tear-jerking, but Rose remained by his side, ready to face everything he was willing to show her.

If he imagined – _stupid Time Lord_ – that this was going to make her run away screaming, which Rose believed would have been the standard human reaction… the Doctor was mistaken. She saw so many things… but they weren't all dark, and she allowed a small smile escape her lips.

Slowly, she was now going through the things – memories of events that they had both been a part of… different places the Doctor had taken her to see, different monsters they had fought or had run away from… It took Rose a while to realise their memories were now being connected. It couldn't have been that the Doctor had had such fondness for her since their very first adventure… She had been, quite literally, a ray of light in his tormented mind.

Being able to catch up with her thoughts more effectively than she could with his at that point, the Doctor smiled to himself, his mind - or was it the combination of both - connecting all the dots for him. He knew then - Rose loved him. Every thought, every memory of hers now had traces of him. Her dreams, even… Although that still was a forbidden ground for him, and the Doctor soon discovered something not quite as tempting. Some of her thoughts were blocked from him still, with or without her conscious knowledge… it would have worried him, but there was no time to stop on it.

As if all of a sudden, the pace of the exchange process heightened. Their minds were trying to process billions of new ideas and thoughts in moments... and the Doctor knew what has come, when the pulse between his hands slowed down and Rose's body lumped onto the sofa as soon as he let go with a heavy sigh.

Other than traces of tears on her cheeks, she seemed perfectly fine. Even without having run a check with the sonic screwdriver Rose's peaceful breathing indicated there was nothing to worry about. The TARDIS wasn't making much of a fuss, no more than her usual humming sounds, albeit slightly louder because of whatever she was doing. The Doctor took as a confirmation of his positive expectations. "You will be fine," he murmured to Rose and lifted her head, placing a pillow under it and making sure the human was at least a bit more comfortable.

The Gallifreyan smiled subconsciously, before having made himself get up from the sofa. Rose needed to get some proper sleep, and he was perfectly comfortable sitting on a chair by the bed and following every slightest movement of hers. The Doctor now had enough time to consider the possible outcome the dreadful revelations might have had on her… Although she'd stayed for so long, unwilling to back away until the very last moment… It can't have meant she was unable to deal with the things he had shared with her. It simply can't have.

Rose loved him. Truly. Unconditionally. Now that she knew he felt the same way… where was that going to lead them? The stuff of legend, the best of combinations?

The Doctor had to mentally force himself not to plunge into dark thoughts. There was no use of them now that they had each other… The Time Lord did not know how much time he had spent in contemplation before he dozed off – maybe for a minute, maybe for an hour...

The Doctor found Rose was no longer on the sofa when he opened his eyes. Strangely, he found it was dark outside. Still? Or already? He must have wasted hours of their precious time together on something Time Lords could live without for days, even weeks – not that it was recommended, of course, but-

_Someone here doesn't like me._

Worried, he headed for the kitchen. "Hi."

The hazel-eyed beauty smiled at him. "Hello! I knew you were coming. It was just about time, I guess…"

"Um, Rose… was I asleep for long?"

"Asleep? You were barely nodding. Even tried to tell me something," she grinned.

Now that could have meant trouble. "Oh- what was it? I'm dying to know," the Time Lord teased her, grinning.

"Something about loving me," she smiled, an admiring look on her face. "And you were mumbling something about how everything was going to be all right," Rose remembered. "It's funny how you seemed to begin talking to me right after I opened my eyes-"

_Oh._ "_Is_ everything all right?"

"If you're talking about us, you and me, the memory-swapping thing," Rose peered at him, chattering joyfully - "it's perfectly fine," her lips curled into an assuring smile. "In fact, I think we should have done it much earlier."

The Doctor eyed the human's features searchingly. Her words could have meant anything.

"That way, Doctor," the blonde gave him a smirk, "many things would have been clear from the start."

"Well… At least we know it now, don't we?"

"Yeah," Rose gave the Time Lord a small smile, clearly thinking about something else. "I wonder… Is it supposed to be so cold here?" the human did not expect her voice was going to sound so whiny.

The Doctor remembered the human physiology was actually not as tolerant to low temperature as his was – usually he made sure the temperature was suitable for both of them – the Time Lord had never faced the trouble before.

_Oh you_… Even though he could usually justify the decisions his wise time-and-space ship was making most of the time, this was not the case.

The two-hearted man took a deep breath. Just when he thought at least some of the unpleasant things were finally away…

"The TARDIS is trying to save some energy, for the needed repairs, apparently..." the Doctor explained. "Don't worry, I'll talk to her right away." _In case she hasn't understood it by now._

"Okay," Rose agreed, knowing he would do that immediately. For her sake.

As the blonde did not want to ever face his Oncoming Storm side again - the memories were more than enough - she hurried to speak. "What about I prepare us some more tea?" the brilliant smile enlightened her features, making the Doctor grin back at her. He nodded.

"Do we have biscuits or anything?" _We._ The word has never before sounded so fitting.

"Sure," he did not bother motioning towards where exactly the biscuits were – she knew. A sweet tooth she was, his Rose. Contents of the kitchen cupboards was one of the things she was the first to inform him about, particularly when they had run out of something.

"Make sure you don't forget the sugar," the Doctor reminded her playfully, knowing it was unlike her to ever forget such things.

"See you in a moment," the blonde waved the Doctor out, almost relieved to get involved in some basic things, such as putting up a kettle. At least, this did not require much thinking. Once again, Rose was smiling to herself without realising it. This time, she had every reason to.

The Doctor had things to say to the time and space vessel. He addressed the TARDIS almost angrily. "You know what upsets me, my clever girl?"

The TARDIS hummed in understanding, but this seemed to have made him but more upset.

'I understand you want the best for both of us," – or so the Doctor hoped, anyway – "but Rose is no Time Lord - she needs proper temperature, suitable for humans! I know you wouldn't mess up with it if you weren't recuperating, but, but-" His voice fell. "You should have thought better before having begun! If something happens to Rose, if she catches cold-" His words sounded menacing. I know there are more ways of doing this... make use of all the unused rooms, for God's sake-"

The TARDIS buzzed in agreement – she knew what the Doctor could do… and did not want to experience what the angry Time Lord was ready to do wanting to protect the woman he loved. It was an admirable thing to follow – their love story. She was happy to finally see the two were heading somewhere.

Rose was her favourite. She had made the Doctor smile again. The human had been strong enough to look into _her_… How could the TARDIS not make the gleeful girl fully comfortable again?

The Doctor smiled, feeling the almost immediate rise in temperature.

* * *

_A/N. This chapter was possibly a great deal too dark for a story not originally supposed to be angsty. :( Sorry about that... As of yet, I don't intend to allow any of them plunge into those dark thoughts for long, not more than I find necessary, anyway. :P  
_

_Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think! :)_


	4. Stuck: Night One, Chapter Four

_A/N. Thank you all so much! Your reviews, favourites and follows make me extremely happy! :) I was literally grinning for hours after having received the reviews. :)_

* * *

**Stuck: Night One, Chapter Four**

"I don't know how I could thank you enough, old girl," Rose spoke to the time and space ship almost as soon as she felt the cold-induced effect of unwelcome sense of stiffness leaving her body. "I was assured low temperature's not a problem for me… You live and you learn," she muttered with a hint of annoyance in her voice, her words met with an assuring hum coming from the TARDIS.

"I will go thank _him_ later," Rose did not know if the ship had truly needed some additional push from the Doctor, but she knew he had to at least have some talk with his blue box. It was very likely the TARDIS agreed to this as well. At least the ship did not give away any signs of disapproval… Over the time she's spent with the Doctor, Rose had many chances to learn just how moody the ship could occasionally be.

"Problems one faces being a human…" The blonde grimaced to herself. Since when had she become so whiny over such small inconveniences that were no longer of importance anyway?

It was then that the Doctor entered the kitchen, an all-knowing expression on his face. "I won't deny Time Lords are much more advanced in this aspect," he spoke teasingly, earning himself a glare. Rose was sure the alien had heard every single word she'd said, albeit only reacted to the _temperature_ part.

"Um…" the companion bit her lower lip in concentration. The idea she should be worried about the Doctor having heard something he shouldn't have left her the moment she met his sparkling eyes.

The thing was, Rose felt she had to at least appear unprepared and unpleasantly surprised. "Since when are you into eavesdropping?" A part of her mind suggested the girl she had every right to be upset. But she wasn't. Entering without advance notice or without mere knocking was typical of him.

"Eavesdropping can be very useful sometimes," the Doctor winked at her, not looking away until he was sure Rose was in no way mad at him.

"In fact, I came here to help you with the tea," the Time Lord continued with a grin. "Who's to say what may happen whenever I'm away from you." Rose shrugged, somehow knowing it was something he came up with on the spur of the moment.

_Tea, really?_

She had to fight away the wish to roll her eyes at him. The girl could recall quite many cases where the Doctor was the one causing all the trouble. However, Rose stayed silent.

"Weren't you going to thank me?" The Doctor grimaced at her knowingly, while Rose stuck her tongue at him. "Oh, absolutely. Thanks."

"It's better than nothing, I suppose…" The Time Lord smirked at her and sighed dramatically, making the companion give him her irresistible grin.

"Do you know what time it is?" Rose watched him fully regain his composure at once.

The Doctor took a step backwards, unable to back away a tiny knowing smile from escaping his lips. It appeared he was not the only one keen on changing the subject when things were starting to look uncomfortable. But this was not a way to disturb him, he decided. "Why? Are you checking my Time Lord senses? Of course I know!"

Rose was still grinning at him. This was fun. Perturbation was shining on the Time Lord's face, badly hidden uneasiness seen through. "I was only wondering, because the clock isn't working-" Only the hurt look the Doctor gave her made her grin disappear. "Stop making this face on me," the blonde peered at him.

"What face?"

"The 'why-doesn't-she-do-what-I-think-she-should' face," Rose teased him, knowing she hit just the right spot.

The Doctor breathed in deeply. "Actually, it was my 'I-don't-like-you-changing-the-topic' face."

"I've understood," she assured him. "What about you return to the library and wait for me there?" The blonde tried to put it as nicely as she could and was stopped with a manic grin on the Doctor's face. "There it comes! I was wondering just how long it would take you to begin chasing me off."

The Tyler girl grinned back at him, finally making all the imagined barriers disappear and coming close enough to be pulled into a long-expected hug. "Was I taking too long?"

"Much too long. Usually, everyone tries to get rid of me during the first five minutes of having met me," the Gallifreyan was talking quietly, his voice barely overstepping a whisper – it required great strength from the Doctor not to simply begin kissing her.

He was consoled by the usual sound of her voice. "And how long did it take me?"

"Six and a half," he peered at her knowingly, making the human burst out laughing. Grinning at her, the Time Lord continued. "Next time, simply tell me to shut up. Sometimes it works."

The pink and yellow girl shook her head in disapproval, giving the Doctor a meaningful look, which was enough to make him back away.

"It kind of hurts to leave the brightest of Roses this way… But I'm off, I'm off!"

"Will be with you in minutes, Doctor. Hopefully in less than six and a half," she waved the Time Lord away, only to find that there was hardly anything left to do for her. This time, Rose did not allow herself give way to thoughts, no matter how pleasant. "Took me less than four minutes," she guessed before heading back to the library – to the Doctor - with two mugs of the still steaming, properly sweetened liquid in one hand and a box of chocolate biscuits in the other. As those were her absolute favourite, the girl did not spare an additional thought before putting one biscuit into her mouth. Rose could have foreseen the natural reaction coming from the Doctor, but it was amusing nonetheless.

The Time Lord grinned, seeing the human with a biscuit between her teeth. "Your lack of patience is rather admirable," he noted, taking the cups from her and placing them onto the tiny coffee table that the girl had insisted he placed in the room. _"Just in case you get thirsty," the blonde had suggested, never doubting all she had to do was put an idea into his mind. _

The Doctor intended to thank her for the idea someday, even though Rose often ended up being the only one making use of it. That was but a case of incurable human laziness, a plain human flaw, one of many the alien was ready to forgive her. He still preferred having his meals in the kitchen, his drinks as well. But this was becoming barely an occasional occurrence now. Most often, they hardly had enough time to eat, let alone have a proper meal, before finding themselves in another adventure. Not that the Doctor minded it…

"Doctor. Are you contemplating having placed the table inside the library again?"

"No," he sent her a thoughtful glance. It was a mystery for him how she could pronounce every word clearly, her mouth still busy with chewing. "Have we not discussed this already? I am perfectly fine with having it here."

Rose smiled, quick to grab another biscuit from the box the Doctor had been thoughtful enough to snatch from her.

"Bright and brilliant, you are," the Time Lord muttered under his breath. The companion did not know what to make of it.

"Am I?" Rose bit her lip. Her words did not sound the way she wanted them to, but she found a solution at once, hoping having her mouth full would stop the alien from giving her questions.

The Doctor stopped her just when she was about to take a sip of tea from her mug. "Do you intend to burn your tongue?" He believed to have saved the young woman from burning her fingers just minutes before, and did not want to risk having her experience something worse.

Rose rolled her eyes at him after having hurriedly replaced her cup nearby his, the biscuit still in her mouth. It was amusing how the Doctor could become overprotective towards her so easily.

"I don't think I'm in need of any additional surveillance, thank you," she teased. The Doctor wasn't sharing her views, but chose to remain silent. The pink and yellow human sniggered, seeing the Time Lord was following her with his look, now uncharacteristically intent.

"Want to share, Doctor?" She managed to say, not letting go of yet another crunchy biscuit the companion had grabbed from the box without any prior thinking. These _were_ delicious.

The Doctor grinned at her, knowing the blonde was but teasing him. "This… It's kind of personal," he noted, unwillingly backing away from Rose a few steps. "Would be overstepping some limits, considering we're not- That is, unless you want us to be, which I would love, but then again, your mother wouldn't approve, and I am a wretched old man, and-"

The Doctor stopped with a renewed grin on his face. His attempt to keep his tone at least partly serious had been doomed ever since he reached the _mother_ part. "Sorry, Rose. I don't think sharing food this way is very _hygienic_."

Rose swallowed down the remaining bit of the biscuit without having fully chewed it. Her mind seemed to have only registered some of his words. Suddenly feeling bitterly bewildered, she appeared not to have noticed the sparkles in his eyes, her face darkened with worry.

"Considering we're not what?"

"Well... since we're not officially… a couple…" the Doctor scratched his head in thought, meeting a concerned look sent towards him. Strangely, the expression sounded completely wrong on his lips. "But I don't really know anymore," he shrugged, not truly trying to hide his sudden uneasiness. "I suppose at this point we could be anything?" _Anything you want us to be._

"I think you are overthinking, Doctor." Rose grimaced, sadness clearly seen in her eyes. What were they now, if not a couple, to say the least? However, the young woman felt she herself was thinking too much. What exactly did he mean with _officially_? She did not get a chance to ask, as the Time Lord grabbed her hand and smiled admiringly – and encouragingly - at his blonde companion. This was enough to make the sadness evaporate from her brown eyes.

"Rose- What about we come back to the _family_ subject after tea?"

_Oh, wait…_ the Doctor realised he had used a different word – _couple_, was it? Anyway. He was not going to correct himself. _A couple_ sounded almost blasphemous in their situation. "Family. Yes…" the handsome – if a little bit skinny – Gallifreyan was muttering to himself almost inaudibly. Rose was as close to family as he could ever get. And wasn't it what she wanted?

Rose shrugged, unsure if it was for the better she could not make out any of his unclear rambling. But there he was, the last of the Time Lords, holding her hand and looking at her in a way much more self-explicatory than any words could ever express. He loved her. She loved him. What else was there to it?

"Okay," Rose agreed. The fact the man was coming to such – she partially guessed, partially knew – a painful subject was a pleasant surprise. "As long as the tea break doesn't take too long," she sent the Time Lord one of the most expectant looks he ever saw – never in her bright hazel eyes.

The Doctor felt he had to add something to this. "I'm absolutely certain it won't," he assured her.

"We haven't gone through my way of telling you how much you mean to me completely yet," his face enlightened. "But tea and biscuits come first," he grinned teasingly at her, receiving a small smile back from Rose.

"This sounds like yet another reason for you to put something important away." Although the Time Lord was burning to start the _important_ conversation, he gave the blonde companion a wink instead. "If you say so…"

Rose shook her head, understanding there was hardly any tea left in her cup. The Doctor shrugged at her, seeing his cup was nearly empty as well.

"Should I go get some more?" the girl suggested, regretting the words at once. Rose wasn't sure she could take any more tension between them. Suddenly Rose realised there were no more reasons for them to avoid whatever was to come. It was not as if either of them was good at remaining quiet for long, anyway… should she simply engage the Doctor into some meaningless conversation, or would he?

_No no no no. _"Rose. You seem completely terrified," the Doctor noted, before bringing himself closer to her.

"I suppose I am… a little," she winked at him, before giving him her tongue-between-teeth grin.

"A little…" he repeated. "You should not be afraid of something like this. Let's think… you have defied some of the most terrifying beings in the universe…" The Doctor watched as Rose's lips formed a smile. Even if the girl _was_ frightened, she surely was good at hiding it.

"Rose." She turned towards him. Suddenly, the library seemed too vast a space for the two of them. As if sensing some kind of tension building up between them again, Rose hid herself in front of a book, one that felt like it was almost tempting her to take it.

The Doctor was watching her quietly. It seemed the blonde was unsure whether she was ready to meet the unfamiliar Time Lord tradition yet… He could wait. Rose was a human. Humans had many fears about things they were not familiar with… Knowing what was in his mind, the TARDIS hummed in agreement. Seeing the book the human was holding, the Doctor grinned. His time and space ship could be very creative when she wanted to…

Pretending not to have noticed her grabbing the very first book she could reach, obviously the volume he had been into whenever Rose was having her nightly rest, he asked, managing to keep his voice emotionless: "What are you reading?"

"Um…" The pink and yellow girl has realised her mistake only then, finally fixing her eyes on the page in front of her. Signs of sheer panic were now on her face. Rose recognised the language. Out of countless books in the enormous library, she had to grab something written in Gallifreyan…

The Time Lord looked at her questioningly, meeting her puzzled look. Unable to wipe the knowing grin off his face, he winked at her.

"In Gallifreyan, is it?" He addressed the companion softly. "I could give you the English translation of this, if you like," the Doctor offered, smiling. Rose gave him an uncomfortable smile back. She knew just as well that the TARDIS did not translate Gallifreyan.

"What exactly-"

"It's a collection of ancient poems," he spoke, his eyes glinting. "Not intended for just anyone."

Rose took a breath, suddenly tense, realising she knew what he was about to say. All the human had to do was hope her feelings did not show. "And you, Rose Tyler, are not _just anyone_."

The Doctor believed then he had known from the very start that this beautiful, brave, brilliant… breath-taking human was meant for him.

"I don't want to frighten you more than I already have, my brilliant, beautiful, brave, bright-"

"Is this a game? Think of as many epithets as you can starting with a "B?" Rose grinned at the Time Lord, wishing the Doctor was standing closer to her. "Would "baby" be one of these?" she shrugged, clearly flirting.

This was a start. "Um… obviously, yes," the alien was all in a fluster, not having expected this wave of cheerfulness from the companion. However, he believed everything was going to work out just fine, knowing just what kind of person she was.

"Boring? Bland? Basic?" Rose suggested, hoping her light-hearted tone would take the obvious perplexity away from him.

"No! Absolutely not these," the Doctor smiled, finally making himself come to her and pull her into a crushing hug. But what he was about to suggest required so much more than a hug, no matter how intimate it felt.

"_Bonding_." The Doctor whispered into her ear, before letting go. "The book you were holding in your hands, it speaks about bonding.

Rose was dumbfounded. She knew, in theory, what that was. Once, a long time ago, the Doctor had been exceptionally open about his planet… and its miraculous traditions.

"I guess the TARDIS knows just what we are about to do, then?" the human seemed amused much more than terrified.

The Time Lord grinned. "Indeed she does… As do you, grabbing the most relevant volume in the entire library," he could not miss the opportunity to tease her.

"Most obviously, no such thing as a translation of the said book exists," Rose grimaced.

"Not unless I translate it," the Gallifreyan shrugged, his eyes still sparkling. "But I would prefer you never even tried to read it," the Doctor finished on a sad note. Rose did not need to know more about the fall of Gallifrey than she already did…

"All right, could we just move on with this, without any more riddles for me to solve?" The Londoner met his knowing look.

"No more riddles this time," the Doctor assured her. "No more waiting. We have everything we need," his voice deepened audibly. "We have ourselves… and we have the TARDIS. Come to me, Rose," the Doctor said invitingly.

"I _am_ with you," the girl gave him a knowing look. The alien was almost touching her, finding himself right beside her.

"Almost, but not yet," he whispered. It seemed the TARDIS did not feel like giving them a separate room for the bonding ceremony. _Very well. The library will do nicely. _Each of the books kept in there had some particular significance to either the Doctor or someone important to him. In a way, the room was one of the most important places on the TARDIS. _Do you want to tell me something? _

Rose giggled nervously. "Are you talking to someone, or am I hearing things?"

The Doctor looked at her searchingly, his eyes wide. "Both."

"I'm sorry?"

"I have been talking to the TARDIS… telepathically." The Gallifreyan was looking at her with a wide grin, his look incredulous, yet admiring.

"Oh," Rose grinned back at him. "So I _was_ hearing things."

"Something you shouldn't have, being a human."

"Okay," the girl didn't see anything strange in it. "I suppose living with a Time Lord has its benefits?"

"It depends on how you look at it, yeah," the Doctor realised he was literally interrupting something that was supposed to be their bonding ceremony. _Sorry!_

"Give me your hand, Rose." She did, meeting a manic grin on the Doctor's face and unable to fight the wish to smirk back at him when she understood why he was so gleeful. "I suppose this leaves us with very little left to do, Rose Tyler!"

"Yes!" The companion was no less excited than the Doctor. Everything they needed to do was touch, and the once hidden or suppressed feelings of the other, together with occasional scrapes of their thoughts, were being exchanged between them.

Rose was dazed.

"My beautiful Rose… we're not done yet," the Doctor whispered something to her. "This, Rose Tyler, is my real name."

"I know," she grinned. This was too good to be true. Or maybe too surreal. Or maybe just... incredible luck. "I know so many new things out of a sudden."

The Doctor smiled, not fully certain what to make of the statement. "The TARDIS will help us with the remaining part," he never let go of her hand, allowing Rose to fully experience the magnitude of the newly discovered connection between them. She seemed to be enjoying it.

"What is the remaining part?" the Londoner's face shone with genuine interest.

"We connect our timelines," the Doctor tried to keep his voice level, but some traces of uneasiness were back into his voice.

* * *

_A/N. Sorry, sorry, sorry! I should not have finished the chapter at his place… but. :D Thank you for not abandoning the story and for letting me know your opinions! :) Love you all! Don't forget to tell me what you think :)  
_

_And… Happy Easter :) (would congratulate you with the arrival of spring, but it still doesn't feel like it here :( )  
_


	5. Stuck: Night One, Day Two, Chapter Five

_A/N. Because I can! Thank you for all the favourites and follows! (Got no reviews the last time, why? :( ) And oh my, oh my… I have only recently realised how very little time has passed out of these ~three days. :D Might have to quicken the pace a little bit, or maybe not, which would eventually mean more chapters. ;)_

* * *

**Stuck: Night One, Day Two, Chapter Five**

Connecting their timelines. Rose found the words both frighteningly scientific and temptingly romantic. "Explain this to me, please?" The Doctor blinked, incredulous. Was she flirting with him? Oh, she _definitely_ was.

"We, well… connect our timelines?" He shrugged, uncertain, knowing this was hardly something the blonde human was expecting to hear. But having her so close was not doing any good to his brain cells at the moment.

Rose but grinned at the Time Lord. "Could you be a bit more specific?" She was pleased to notice talking to her seemed to take some of the Doctor's unwelcome tension away.

"Well." This _had_ to be said. _Had_ to be done. And gods, did he want it to be done! The Gallifreyan shook his doubts away, as his beautiful… _his_ beautiful Rose seemed to have none. "The TARDIS will connect our timelines, as in… yours and mine will become one, and…"

"I could have worked as much out by myself, you know," she sent him a mental poke on the shoulder, simply wishing to see if this worked. It did, and the Doctor clung to her hand harder, taken by surprise. "Impatient, are you? Wouldn't you wish to simply enjoy the sensation of still being fully human, with no one having the power to feel your mind, for a bit longer?" The Time Lord removed his hand from her grasp, knowing not touching was the only way not strengthening the now rapidly forming, although still barely felt, bond between them – never to be broken again. "While you still can? Rose?"

Rose shook her head, already yearning for the unfamiliar, yet so welcome sensation to return to her. "I don't want to," she clung back to his hand. "Besides, I _am_ human. Even more so, when I'm with you."

"Is that a good thing?"

"It is for me," the blonde winked at him, knowing full well that, as much as the Doctor admired humans with all their simplicity and flaws, he could not imagine actually being a human without some subconscious disdain.

Never letting go of the Doctor's hand, Rose giggled. "I can pretty much sense what is in your mind now, so be careful with thoughts like this."

"Already?" _Oh well. _

The human rolled her eyes at him playfully. "I haven't even noticed something _was _happening, Doctor."

The TARDIS felt the need to intervene just then – what was the use of them wasting their precious time, when she could actually spend more time on working on the necessary repairs… especially if she actually intended to keep up to those seventy hours. All the problems they were unintentionally causing, while admirable in a way, were keeping the blue time and space box from it. Something had to be done immediately. Why not the pleasant part?

"Oh. Right," The Doctor addressed the time and space vessel then. "She suggests we actually begin the ceremony now," the Time Lord explained, not failing to notice Rose was now keeping her hands away from him again. He could have guessed she was trying to adjust herself to the unavoidable flow of information now reaching her… inexplicably fast, or so it seemed from her now somewhat misty hazel eyes, wide with wonder. Or was it dread?

"Are you all right?" The Doctor grabbed her hand without thinking, the gesture but intensifying the process further.

She breathed out. "Perfectly so," Rose sent the Gallifreyan one of her most admirable smiles. Whatever she'd seen – sensed – he was not entirely sure which level of connection was the girl going through - must have been something positive, or so the Doctor guessed, grinning back at her.

"What are we supposed to be doing now?" the blonde wondered.

"Waiting," the Time Lord winked at her, glancing at their entwined hands. Rose's question died on her lips, as she saw it. Not sure where it was coming from, with no source visible, she could see what was happening. Two separate white lines, looking positively identical to her human eyes, were quickly being joined together… In what seemed no more than a minute, the lines were entwined, just like their hands. And it seemed there was nothing to be done about it. _Waiting it is._

_My dear. Have you thought about simplifying the process, or- _Rose rolled her eyes at the Doctor. Not because the Time Lord seemed to have forgotten she was holding his hand, not because he did not seem to register she could hear what he was saying to his spaceship, but because of his words.

She nudged him, physically this time. "What exactly does _simplifying_ mean? Am I not capable of going through the proper _bonding_ – the Doctor noticed this word sounded strangely appealing coming from her lips - ceremony, or is there a different version of it for _beings_ like me?"

The Doctor shook his head, grinning at her. "There's not much to be simplified. Now that you know my name, not much is left to do."

"Just the waiting?" Rose grimaced, suddenly tense, as the understanding of the importance of the step they were taking hit her anew.

"Nope," the Time Lord pressed her hand harder. "As the tradition goes, we should exchange our vows now," he continued, unable to suppress an admiring grin after having seen the emotions on her face.

"Oh. But… I don't know any?" It was impossible to say if the Tyler girl was suddenly overcome with panic or if she was simply flirting with him again. After all, that often seemed to be her second nature. Still, panic seemed more likely.

"Well… As long as you don't quote the things they say on some of Jackie's favourite TV-shows," the Doctor rolled his eyes playfully, knowing he'd be willing to accept even those from Rose – "anything will do. Nobody's watching."

_I think you're missing something, Doctor…_ Before Rose began to object out loud, the TARDIS put out a nearly deafening blast.

"I've told you!" Even if she hadn't, the Doctor simply nodded in agreement. "My bad," he shrugged. "I'll start." The Gallifreyan smiled at her assuringly, letting go of her hand just so he could lean to her ear and whisper the words.

As he backed off, Rose was grinning at him wildly, her eyes shining.

"I love you too, my unimaginable Time Lord. I promise, I _swear _to love you forever. Stay with you forever. Whatever it takes, my Doctor. No matter what."

Rose looked at him questioningly. _Is this good?_

_Perfect. _Just enough, Doctor was thankful for the way she had not uttered a word about the thing he was scared of the most. The time passing, the life ending. Her understanding of forever was different than his… but still, it was _forever_.

The Doctor found her hand, never stopping to smile at her. Rose grinned. The scene in front of them seemed to have slowed down, as if giving them time to fully grasp what was happening.

The Doctor's eyes travelled from his beautiful Rose to the process of their timelines combining now seen in front of their eyes…

"This is so beautiful…" Rose has finally found her tongue, her words barely audible, yet full of sincere admiration.

"Is it?" The two timelines, one of which seemed thinner – Rose's, the Doctor was sure – were intervening quickly. The alien was surprised the length of their timelines appeared to have become equal. This could only have meant he was going to die much sooner than he thought – maybe because of grief after losing his pink and yellow girl… this seemed like the only possible explanation to him.

"I don't know what to think," he muttered. "I'm not even that old yet!"

"What?"

Lying to her was a very, very bad option, so the Doctor countered Rose's gleefulness with severity. "You'll be the death of me, Rose Tyler."

"Ha, many people say that of me, Doctor!"

"No, I mean… literally."

At that moment the TARDIS seemed to have intensified the process, their words no longer audible in the noise – or was it a very strange kind of music – of the time and space ship. Even more so – the blinding light before their eyes was intolerable, and certainly not a usual occurrence in a ceremony like this. Surely, they should not have chosen a day when the time and space ship had other things to deal with…

The Time Lord addressed the ship carefully, unsure if she could hear him through all the noise. _Have we caused all this mess?_

_You have. Now just let go of her hand, you're interrupting the circumstance again. At least allow the light reach the two of you, you adorable fools._

The Gallifreyan rolled his eyes, quickly putting his hand away. _Sorry!_

Rose shrugged, amused. The TARDIS was amused no less, but for different reasons.

It was going to take some time for the Doctor to realise that Rose was not a simple human anymore. Years until the changes in her - or lack of these, thereof - started worrying him, and consequently made him run more tests on her, that is, if she did allow him... which she knew Rose would. Who would be the first to panic? The machine believed to know the answer.

But could she do that to them? Fill her Time Lord's life with constant fear over his_ human_? The unusual emotion of doubt in the machine's technical systems has destabilised the event further, the constant blinding rays of light making the event impossible to follow.

The Doctor locked his eyes with Rose's, grinning at her. Of course, everything had to happen at once. _Not long now_, his eyes seemed to assure her. The human sent him a smile back. _Whatever it takes_, she reminded him.

Then suddenly everything stilled and the firmly bound ray of light - theirs - made them take each other's hand subconsciously. The companion saw only then that the ray of light seemed to have been coming from their hands, now fading and disappearing into nothingness.

The blonde took a deep breath, realising the ceremony was over. "Are the Time Lord weddi- bonding ceremonies always this messy?" _Weddings. Wedding. A Gallifreyan ceremony. Bonding. Oh, my God. _Rose felt like she was about to explode.

"Not always, no. Under these circumstances, however- How are you?" The Doctor eyed her worriedly, meeting her distracted look. "Rose?"

"Perfectly happy. Just… not used to the idea yet. The bonding ceremony, what has it made us? How do you call it?"

The Doctor shrugged, unwilling to complicate the thoughts in her blonde head even further. "Marriage, if you prefer."

The human squeaked, incredulous. "Which makes us husband and wife, or?"

_Oh, Rose._ "In the majority of galaxies, yep. But back on Gallifrey, we would have been called bond-mates."

The girl focused on the feelings inside her, surprised at her ability to very easily switch to the feelings the Time Lord seemed to have been sending just to her. Rose knew she could live with this new sensation every second of her life. Giving the alien a blinding grin, she let out a sharp breath. "You weren't lying, Doctor."

_I'm never lying to you, Rose Tyler._

Okay… maybe all this was a bit too hard to grasp. The companion bit her lip. _I hope so, my Doctor. _

No. Not hard to grasp at all. She giggled, suddenly feeling like a teenager.

"What is it?"

Rose shrugged. It was nothing and everything at once. The Time Lord understood it, and pulled her into a hug, just like he'd so often done… The touch sent a shudder through them both. "We should-" The Doctor's embrace was strong and possessive, and the human grinned at the wave of all kinds of positive feelings suddenly overtaking her.

"What, Doctor?" she whispered expectantly, not daring – not wanting - to move away. This was perfection. Besides, they were not done yet, Rose could feel as much.

She could see the day dawning. Since when did the library have windows?

_The windows have always been here, my unobservant child of London. _The Doctor teased her, and Rose stuck her tongue at him. He was but teasing her, for she _knew _there had been no windows there when they arrived to have their tea and biscuits in the room… nor ever before.

_No, there haven't been any._

"Fine. I take my words back. Was just checking…" Rose rolled her eyes at him playfully. Was this but his way to put something away again? She seemed to have forgotten the Doctor was able to – as it appeared, almost always infallibly – see what was on her mind.

Still, something was stopping him… "Rose. Just tell me you _don't_ regret any of this, and you are not leaving me, ever." This was a foolish thing to ask, as ceremonies of this kind, especially ones so old, respected and unquestionable, were not something possible to override, but the Doctor wanted reassurance.

The young woman wanted to slap him for even sparing a thought about it. "I'm never going to leave you!" With_ never_, she meant it. No doubt in her eyes, no distrust. His pink and yellow human girl, his Rose Tyler from London, England. Always utterly sincere, selfish more often than not… and always so very _human_.

Under any other circumstances, the Gallifreyan might not have believed in her, might have dismissed the idea as a certain impossibility, but now everything was the other way around… Even if either of them wanted to leave (which, as the Time Lord dared to hope, was never going to enter their minds), the unbreakable bond was there. Connecting them. Forever. The Doctor was ready to use the word as often as he could – or at least as often as humans did.

"You're stuck with me, this time for good, Rose." The Doctor's soft words and his warm breath in her ear made her want to melt. "I hope you are ready for whatever this gives us?"

"Am _I_ ready? Doctor. I have just taken part in what has changed my understanding of life for-" For as long as I live, Rose wanted to say. But she was not going to ruin the moment. If the Time Lord was not going to kiss her in the upcoming two minutes…

"Actually…" The Doctor grinned at her knowingly. "I was just contemplating quite the thing," he muttered, the distance between them still practically non-existent. _Just as it should be._

"Do it, will you?" It was her turn to tease. "As a matter of fact, I _am_ quite observant." _Especially now that the borders between us have fallen, eh?_

_Have they?_ Oh. Of course, it had been necessary for him to lower the borders of his mind for the ceremony. And, daft as he was, he hadn't thought of putting them back up… _Sorry__!_

_Don't you dare. Just… don't. _After all the time of hiding their feelings, Rose was not sure she could take any more of it. The Time Lord placed a finger on her lips, soon running it on her cheek teasingly. Putting the expected and the yearned-for move away was of no use. Not ever again. Who was he to ever deny them the innocent pleasure of kissing? Especially when they had every right, in every galaxy he could think of at that moment, to do even more than that. Much more… He covered his face with his hands for long two seconds. However, the Gallifreyan understood using his hands to grab hers was making a much better use of them. "Really bad at this, am I?"

Rose sent him a loving look. "I don't think so."

"Good," he smiled, before finally, _finally_ leaning in to kiss her. The human seemed to have been completely unprepared – his subconscious games must have tired her… All the better. The Time Lord was looking at her knowingly, aware that her lips were just open enough for him to kiss her – snog her the way he had been dreaming about since long before his regeneration. And, he did, more than encouraged by the way Rose was looking at him… Or perhaps by the way her lips – and her tongue – were responding to his advances. _This _was the real perfection, the human noted in her mind, only backing away from him to take a breath. At that moment, she did not believe anything could be more perfect than this. His hands were toying with her hair, sending a welcome sensation all through her. _And this. _Everything.

"I love you," she whispered, her eyes and face shining with feelings the Doctor could never interpret the wrong way.

"My Rose." _I love you too. _

"My Time Lord."

The two backed away from each other fully at the same moment, aware that the connection between them never faltered, not even when they let go of each other.

"I am certain, Miss Tyler, that this _is _going to work, but what about giving it a try anyway?" The Doctor sent Rose a manic grin, nodding at her suggestively.

Without saying a word more, the Time Lord moved to the other side of the library. _Can you hear me? _

_Yes!_

_And what if I move even further away? _Five rooms away?_ What about now? _She grinned at the unfamiliar poetic verse the Gallifreyan had recited to her. _Yes._

It was becoming a problem for the Doctor to find a room not yet sealed, so he returned to her with a smirk on his face. He had to check yet another possibility…

_Rose, oh, Rose… Tell me, when or if this becomes too much. _The human could very distinctly feel the Time Lord's hands in her hair, the sensation almost identical to what she had experienced approximately half an hour ago… yet she could see the Doctor standing there, not even facing her.

Now this, _this_… Too much was not quite the right way to say it, and yet… "No, don't, Doctor. I'm not quite used to this yet, and-"

_And you're not certain if this is morally acceptable. _He should have told her he was merely testing the strength of the connection between them, but could not make himself lie to her. After all, it was a widely known truth these ways of communication were forbidden in a fair number of galaxies. However, about one third of the ones allowing it have been very fond and proud of such practices, for various reasons. _Don't worry._ _It's understandable._

Rose stopped mid-sentence and burst out laughing. "Really. _Don't_ do this to me." I'm not ready. _Yet_. Still just a human, see?" It had nothing to do with being morally acceptable or not. She needed time. Nothing else. Or so she believed…

_The most brilliant human in the universe. My human. My Rose._

_Possessive, aren't you? My Doctor? _

The grin on the Doctor's face was priceless, before another thought entered his mind.

"There is just this thing, my Rose. Have you understood the things I was whispering to you?"

She looked at him searchingly. "Every word, why?"

The Doctor grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Everything?"

"Yep. You don't intend to tell me some of your words weren't sincere?"

The Time Lord's grin grew even wider. "It's not that. Are you completely sure you haven't accidentally acquired some knowledge of Gallifreyan?"

_No._

He hadn't intended to mess with the woman he loved this way, just couldn't help himself, when he had half-intentionally finished his heartfelt speech in the language she knew nothing about... what else could he have done, if the English language – any variation of it - had not enough words to express what he felt he had to? After all, he has welcomed her into his wretched mind hours before. The TARDIS had opened her mind to her once, too. An impossible occurrence, an incredible outcome. This had to mean something. Suddenly, the Doctor felt completely certain that the bonding was the best step he could have taken in his nine hundred years of existence… Together with her, with _his_ Rose.

_Yes._

* * *

_A/N. Okay, I must admit, writing the 'bonding' bit was something I wasn't entirely certain about – but. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please let me know what you think! :) _


End file.
